


Not Exactly a Perfect Homecoming

by Silverkleptofox



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Feels, Gen, Zeno feels, granny is tsundere, hakuryuu village, some Jaeha feels, spoilers for ch 100+
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-26
Updated: 2016-02-26
Packaged: 2018-05-23 10:00:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6113032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverkleptofox/pseuds/Silverkleptofox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After hearing how they had been treated, Kija vowed to take the other dragons to Hakuryuu Village. Too bad it was almost a disaster. Luckily Zeno is good in awkward situations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Exactly a Perfect Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OMGitsgreen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OMGitsgreen/gifts), [EHyde](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EHyde/gifts).



> This work is inspired by a post made by Omgitsgreen on tumblr, and an ask sent by Ehyde. Together they created the perfect disaster of awkwardness and feels.

"If you ever come to the Hakuryuu village, granny and I will spoil you all rotten."  
\---------

So the next time the happy hungry bunch found themselves in the unf tribe territory, they made it a point to travel up into the mountains to the hidden village that Guen had established so long ago. 

Kija bounded with excitement. "I can't wait to introduce you all to granny- we've never had anyone visit our village!" He beamed. "Well, except for Hak and Yona, of course." 

"Don't forget me!" Yun shouted at the skipping form of Kija. 

Zeno smiled knowingly and chuckled, but didn't say anything. He didn't want to spoil Kija's good mood. He deserved a day of happiness- they all did. 

As the group approached the clearing that opened to the border of the village, they heard a commotion coming their way. 

"Who goes there?"  
"You're not welcome here!"  
"Turn back to where you came from!"

Hak grasped his weapon "are you sure this is the right place, white-snake?" 

Kija raised his right hand and it glinted on in the mid-morning sun. 

"Be quiet you idiots!" Shouted a gravely female voice. "Is that any way to treat the esteemed Lord Hakuryuu and his guests!?"

"I suppose that would be your Granny, huh?" Jaeha mused. "Reminds me of the captain..." 

Shin-ah shook his head as if to say 'I don't see it' and pointed forward. There, coming up the road, was a tiny old woman in a box-like hat riding on a litter being held up by four white-haired men in white robes. 

This was obviously the village of the white dragon. 

Jaeha's smile faltered. "Eh, I see what you mean. Not like captain Gigan at all..."

"My my my, look at you all." Granny smacked her lips as the litter-bearers brought her down in front of the band of travelers. "To think I would see the four dragons together in my own lifetime. The gods be praised! Let me get a look at all of you." She stood up from her chair and walked toward the group, stopping in front of Jaeha. 

"Well you're quite the handsome fellow, aren't you?" She said as she looked him up and down, reaching forward to take the end of his silky green ponytail between her fingers as Jaeha stood stock-still. "You must be Ryokuryuu. With a face like that, your village must have been very upset to see you leave." Jaeha's back stiffened and he frowned. Zeno's eyes widened and he brought his hand up to cover his mouth, but being near the back of the group, luckily no one noticed. No one else knew about Jaeha's past and Jaeha had no idea that Zeno knew. 

Granny, especially, had no idea of what she had just said. There must be some sort of unrequited love, Granny thought, completely misunderstanding Jaeha's reaction. "Well what's your name, child? Is this your wife?" She gestured to Yun. 

"I'M A BOY!!" Yun shouted for what he felt was the twentieth time since he stared traveling with this group of misfits. Jaeha stifled a chuckle. "No, no I'm not married." 

"Well then." Granny huffed "I'm sure we can find a good woman for you here if you like..."

"GRANNY!" Kija shouted, his face turning pink with embarrassment. 

Hak elbowed Jaeha in the ribs. "She's even more forward than you are, eh?" 

Granny turned steely eyes to Kija. "Hush, Lord Hakuryuu. Just because you refuse to settle down with a good wife doesn't mean these fine dragons will! Now my son, your name?" 

"My name is Jaeha." The green dragon said, recovering quickly and plastering on his most debonair smile and kneeled down to take her small wrinkled hand in his. "And while I appreciate your concern, I have no need of a wife at this moment. I have someone precious to protect." He said with a wink. "Now, Shin-ah on the other hand..." He gestured to the tall man in the mask who was nervously shuffling backward at the mention of his name and the old woman stomping up to him. Kija sighed in exasperation. 

"Hmmmm... Shin-ah you say. What a beautiful name." Yona blushed at that. "Your hair is white, but you can't be Hakuryuu..." She murmured. Jaeha took the opportunity to divest Shin-ah of his mask and wig, revealing his blue hair and face. Ao went flying into Yun's hands and immediately Shin-ah covered his eyes and hunched his shoulders downward. Jaeha tsk'ed in disappointment- he hadn't gotten a glimpse of Shin-ah's eyes.  
"Ah!" Granny exclaimed, seeing his bright sky-blue hair. "You must be Seiryuu! Stand up straight, boy, and uncover your face. It's unbecoming of a dragon warrior to cower." 

Shin-ah instead stepped back behind Hak and Yona and folded his knees up to his chest, clinging to Yun's pant leg.

Yun bent down to pat Shin-ah's back soothingly as Ao chittered angrily at the old woman. 

"Ah, you'll have to forgive Shin-ah, he's very shy you see." Yona stuttered with a nervous wave of her hand. 

"Seriously granny, you're scaring them!" Kija whispered none-to-softly to the very intimidating old woman. 

"Nonsense!" Granny huffed. "These are the reincarnations of the four dragons of legend, correct? With the blessings of the gods? Why would they be frightened of a mere human? Unless, of course, they are frauds! You there! Ryokuruu! Show me your leg!"

Jaeha's eyes widened in surprise. "P...pardon?"

"Your leg. Show it to me." 

Jaeha turned and pulled the hem of his pants out of his left boot.

"No, you idiot, the other one."

"Eh... That's a bit..." He stammered, but Granny was faster. She stepped over and ripped Jaeha's pant leg out of his boot, flashing the viridian green scales that covered his right leg.  
"Hey!" Jaeha shouted as he instinctively lifted his dragon leg high to his waist, ready to unleash a lethal kick. Everyone in the bunch leaned forward, ready to stop him, but he merely tucked his pant leg back into his boot before placing his foot back on the ground and doing his best to conceal his angry blushing. 

"Well I suppose you're the real thing." Granny huffed. "But what about you, Seiryuu! Uncover your eyes."

"That won't be necessary, madam." Zeno piped up from the back. He strolled forward and gave Shin-ah a gentle pat on the shoulder. "This boy is definitely Seiryuu. Zeno has seen it himself. But he might accidentally kill you if you saw his eyes, so Seiryuu keeps them covered. Now if Ryokuruu will give back Seiryuu's mask..." Zeno said with his hand outstretched, waiting. Jaeha handed the mask back to Shin-ah with a dejected sigh. Ao crawled into Shin-ah's shirt as he fastened the mask back on. 

"And who are you?" Granny chided.

"Ah! Zeno is Ouryuu." He smiled brightly at her. 

She frowned. 

"Ouryuu, eh? The texts don't say much about the power of Ouryuu, except that you have a strong body, but you seem ordinary to me..."

"Zeno gets that a lot." He said scratching the back of his head with a smile. 

"... Where are your scales?" Zeno's smile fell. "...Your mark of the yellow dragon? How can you prove that you are Ouryuu?"

"Um..."

"Zeno is definitely Ouryuu." Yun shouted. 

Yona stepped forward. "We have all seen Zeno's power- his strong body. Nothing else like it exists. But it is very painful for him, and for us as well, so please don't ask any more about it, or Shin-ah's eyes." 

Granny leveled with the red-haired princess, and they stared unblinkingly into each other's eyes for a long moment, locked in a battle of wills. Then granny closed her eyes and turned back to Zeno. 

"Well, with such a boyish face it's going to take a lot of effort to find you a wife." She nodded with certainty.

"Not to worry!" Zeno grinned. "Zeno is already married!"

That's when granny fainted.

\------------

Once Kija had vouched for them, the rest of the Hakuryuu village was much more friendly and less demanding then Granny. She was stubborn and strict, but that's how she showed that she cared, or at least that's what Kija had told them. Granny woke up after a few minutes, thanks to Yun's quick thinking and a vial of smelling salts, but she left them alone until lunch. 

"So." She said as she sat down at the low table in the town hall between Yun and Kija with her pipe between her lips. "Of all the four dragons, the youngest is the first to find a wife."

Kija was embarrassed already, his head bowing forward into his bowl dejectedly. "Granny... Can we not talk about..."

"Nonsense!" She chided. "Lord Ryokuryuu is nearly 30 and is still unmarried, yet this boy has found a wife? Unacceptable. You all have a solemn duty to carry on the bloodlines of your ancestors! Your villages must be ashamed of themselves."

There was an awkward silence as everyone refused to make eye contact. 

Zeno, ever the wisest in such situations, spoke up from his place between Yun and Shin-ah. "Madam, Zeno thinks you misunderstand. The Seiryuu and Ryokuruu villages are not at all like Hakuryuu's village. They see their dragons as a burden instead of a wondrous gift. That is why we have come here- Hakuryuu wanted the four dragons too see what they should have experienced: a village that loves and respects them." He smiled, but it was a solemn one. Jaeha gave him a thankful look from across the table, next to Kija. 

"I see." Granny stood, took a long puff from her pipe, set it down beside her, and bowed low to the ground. "Forgive me for mis-speaking, Lord Seiryuu, Lord Ryokuruu, and Lord Ouryuu." Zeno flinched at the name. "I have spoken out of ignorance, assuming the other villages had remembered their honored tradition. I welcome you to the village of Hakuryuu for as long as you will stay, and forever more you will be welcome." 

Everyone was speechless for a moment, the silence as awkward as it was solemn.

"... Thank you." Came a small, soft voice. It was Shin-ah who spoke, and granny rose from her bow and dusted her palms. Yona squeezed Shin-ah's hand and gave him a reassuring smile. Ao crawled into her lap.

"Well then, on to a lighter subject." Granny forced a smile. "Lord Ouryuu, what is your village like?"

"They all died a long time ago." He said cheerfully through a mouth full of rice. Hak coughed and Jaeha choked on his drink while Granny nearly dropped her chopsticks. Jaeha thumped Hak on the back since he was next to him. 

"W...well then..." She tried to recover. "What about your wife? I'm sure she's lovely."

"She died too."

Once again Zeno smiled as everyone awkwardly tried to remain composed. Zeno chuckled a little bit at Granny's expense, but the awkwardness was worth it to teach the youngster a bit of a lesson. The best teacher was experience after all. 

"Did you have any children?" Granny tried to smile.

"Ah, no. Zeno's wife was very sickly. We never tried to have children."

Granny finally spit out her drink and lost her composure. All of the dignity left her as she slumped in defeat. "The one dragon who married, and he never has children." She muttered to herself. "Are ALL the descendants of the four dragons virgins!?" 

Kija blushed as Shin-ah turned away in embarrassment and Zeno stuffed his face happily. Yun sighed in the way only an exasperated mother could. Hak grinned knowingly and elbowed Jaeha in the ribs once more as Yona hid her face in her bowl. Jaeha kicked Hak under the low table, making the man wince. 

"Well, we do have bigger priorities than marriage at the moment, Granny." Kija chided bashfully. "Yona is the reincarnation of King Hiryuu, and none of us is concerned with anything but protecting her until her mission is complete." Shin-ah nodded at that but Jaeha looked away. 

"Surely you need someone to look after you all? How do you survive with no one to cook, sew, and do laundry?" Granny asked.

"We have Yun." Everyone said in unison.

"Yes, Yun is our mother." Jaeha chided and Shin-ah nodded eagerly.

"I'M NOT YOUR MOTHER!!" Yun shouted through gritted teeth. Granny turned to her left and took both of his hands. 

"Thank you so much for taking care of Lord Hakuryuu and the other dragons." She said earnestly. "I know he can be a pain."

"Hey!" Kija said, offended. 

"Well!" Granny clapped, completely ignoring the white dragon. "My mission tonight is to spoil you all rotten." Granny said with certainty. "You're all much to thin, especially Lord Seiryuu. Tonight we will have a banquet in your honor. Now, all of you, off to the hot springs. I'll not hear of any of you working and getting sweaty today. You all stink."

"Finally!" Yun sighed with relief. "I don't have to cook for these rare beasts!" 

Granny thwopped him on the head with her pipe. "Show some respect." 

\-------------

After a relaxing day in the hot springs and a huge feast, the happy hungry bunch was passed out cold in their rooms on soft beds with thick blankets and fluffy pillows. Kija was in absolute heaven, despite havin to run interference between his strict grandmother and his friends all day. He was finally home, if only for a while. Jaeha had been teasing the ladies and had received three marriage proposals before dinner. Yun had nearly cried when the feast was set before them, and Shin-ah had never eaten so much food in his life. Instead of sleeping on his side, he was rolled over on his back because his belly was so full. Ao was laying in the same position on his chest. Everyone was sprawled out on their beds, two to a room instead of everyone together for once. Jaeha was with Kija, Yun was with Hak, Yona was by herself, and Shin-ah was with Zeno, except Zeno wasn't there. 

"Was the food not to your liking?" Granny asked as she sat down next to the yellow dragon sitting on the porch looking at the stars. "You're not asleep like the rest of them."

"No no it was very good! The most delicious Zeno has had in years!" He beamed at her.

"I'm sorry to hear about your wife." Granny said. "Yo love someone and lose them so young, I can't fathom it."

"Zeno appreciates it, but Zeno isn't really that young." He looked down as his hand unconsciously fiddled with the medallion hanging from his hair. Granny raised her eyebrow in confusion. "I don't like to share my past with strangers, but I know that you respect the legend of the dragons and you'll keep my secret safe. Besides, Guen always told me I'd be welcome here."

Granny's eyes widened at the mention of that name. "You..."

"Yes." Zeno said. "Ouryuu's strong body is the power of immortality. This body can heal from any wound, but also cannot die." He scored a small cut in his palm with a fingernail and let Granny watch as the cut closed before her eyes. "I am the original Ouryuu who served King Hiryuu at Guen's side." He said softly. "That's why I never had children. This power is s curse, and I don't want to risk passing it on to anyone else."

"Then you must be... Over two thousand years old!?" Granny whispered.

Zeno smiled. "Something like that. After King Hiryuu died, we all disbanded. Guen told Zeno to come visit his village, but by the time Zeno arrived, he had already returned to heaven and his successor was grown."

"We don't have any records of Ouryuu visiting the village..." Granny mumbled in confusion.

"That's because Zeno was shot with an arrow before he got close..." He said quickly. Granny's jaw fell and she started to bow to make apologies but Zeno stopped her.  
"It's alright. Guen's descendants were just protecting his son, is all. Zeno has visited the Hakuryuu village many, many times, just to check."

"...and we kept chasing you away..." Granny was mortified.

"You've done well." Zeno smiled, placing a hand on the old woman's small and warped back. "Raising so many generations of Hakuryuu, it must have been hard work. But this Hakuryuu, he is one of the purest souls Zeno had ever seen. He is righteous, honorable, brave, and kind. He carries the burden of all the generations before him but is not corrupted by it. He is pure, too pure..." He trailed off with a chuckle. Granny sniffed just a tiny bit and wiped a tear from her eyes. 

"I've raised four generations of Hakuryuu in my lifetime. Three young men I have seen born, live, and die without their destinies being fulfilled. And now, my sweet, selfless Kija, Hiryuu has come for him at last, and I probably won't live to see him succeed." A tear dropped from her eye and rolled down her wrinkled face.

"Nonsense." Zeno said, wiping the tear away and hugging her close. "Zeno had seen many, many generations pass by without him. It is a very hard thing. But it as not as if you will never see them again. If not in this life, you will see Hakuryuu succeed from your place in the heavens, and you will meet all the previous generations, even Guen. And when you do, please pass along a message for Zeno: tell Guen Zeno is sorry he was late. Will you do that for Zeno?" 

Granny nodded. "How do you know all of this?" She asked.

"Zeno was a priest once, too!" He smiled.

Granny smiled back and pulled a vial of liquor and a cup from her sleeve. She gave Zeno the cup and poured the drink. 

"To Guen?" Zeno asked.  
"To old codgers." She replied. They both laughed and toasted and sipped their drink under the stars- granny straight from the bottle. 

\----------

The dragons left the next day, after sleeping in until well past midday. The village had stocked them up with rice and salt, spare clothes, new pots and pans (much to Yun's delight) and various other things that were a necessity to most, but a luxury to the travelers. Kija enveloped Granny in a tight one-armed hug as they left. As they were turning away, she placed a hand on Zeno's shoulder. 

"Your wife." She said. "What was her name? When I return to heaven, I want to thank her."

Zeno smiled and wrapped the old codger in a hug.  
"Kaya." He whispered. "Her name was Kaya." 

Granny patted his back. "I'll be sure to let her know. But you be sure to come back to this village you hear? Even if I'm gone! We'll take care of you here. I don't care how many generations pass, I'll make sure they don't forget."

"Thank you." Zeno smiled, and his eyes reflected it. "I will."

**Author's Note:**

> As I was writing this, halfway through I realized I had completely forgotten Yun. I had to go back and write him in. So his first line in this work is ironic.


End file.
